Woman in the Elevator

“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said…When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said… ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” John 11:38-44

I remember many years ago, we went to our financial advisor’s office for a meeting. We walked into an elevator and began rising through the floors of a tall building. As the elevator came to a stop a door behind us we weren’t aware of opened and startled me. I was expecting the door which I had come through to be the door through which I would leave. Instead, I turned around and saw a beautiful lobby with amazing artwork and a concierge’s desk to the side of the lobby. I have never forgotten the dark and dull parking lot as the entrance elevator doors closed only to open to the beauty of their entrance. 

This morning Lazarus entered my mind. I can’t imagine being Lazarus and going through a lingering illness seeing my sisters watch me fade away on earth. However, I can relate to being that sister watching a sibling slip into the darkness of a grave. But this morning as I consider this beautiful passage, I recall that elevator from years ago. I have this beautiful image of Beth entering one door and rising to Heaven only for the door behind her to open when it arrived at the top floor. She slipped into that heavenly elevator a sick woman, riddled with cancer but she emerged from it healthy and perfect! I can just see her skinny little frame facing the wrong door. She hears the door open and as she turns around to depart, she is a beautiful and perfect version of the lady in the elevator. She hears the excited loud voice of Jesus saying, ‘Beth, come out!’ And has she steps out into the entrance of Heaven she can’t believe her eyes. The light is brighter than she has ever seen before, the music is quite melodious, looking down she notices her grave clothes have been removed, and there stands Jesus. She recognized Him although she had never seen Him before. Afterall, who can’t recognize true Love? And so, her life in Heaven began.

Our elevator doors are beginning to open no matter in which state you live. We have been on a very dim and multi-leveled ride. On some days, it felt like a grave as the news reported death all around us. Some days the ride wasn’t as bad but confinement was always our companion. As the doors open into a new normal Jesus doesn’t expect us to remain in the elevator. He is on the other side of sheltering-at-home calling us to ‘Come out! Live our lives! Follow Him and courageously follow Him. Help those who fear the re-entry like Jesus commanded of the sisters of Lazarus. Don’t look back when the doors close but may we all pay special attention to the beauty of what lies ahead.